Chief Investment Officer at Kenya Climate Ventures (KCV)

While reporting to the Chief Executive Officer, the Chief Investment Officer will lead deal origination, review and execution. You will work in liaison with the investment and enterprise development teams in the following areas:

• Strategic Leadership
• Define the strategic direction of the investment team and secure CEO, Board, and Investment Committee support for initiatives and goals.
• Develop and execute a comprehensive investment strategy that aligns with the company's mission and goals.
• Refine investment policies, guidelines and frameworks to govern and guide the investment practice.
• Collaborate closely with the direct services team to ensure appropriate deal sourcing.
• Lead cross-functional initiatives that leverage both investment and direct service capabilities to maximize impact and alignment across the company.
• Develop and refine investment strategies that align with the organization's mission and market opportunities.
• Develop innovative financial products and investment structures that address unmet needs in underserved communities and markets.
• Investment Strategy and Execution
• Responsible for the execution of the fund's investment strategy, ensuring grant and investor commitments are met while serving the needs of underserved communities and markets.
• Lead origination and evaluation of investment deals, ensuring alignment with both financial and social impact objectives.
• Regularly assess and inform review of the company's investment approach to address evolving markets and financial needs.
• Utilize the combined expertise of the team and investment committee to identify emerging trends and innovative investment approaches.
• Develop and implement investment strategies that support KCV’s position as a leader in impact investing and market systems development.
• Regularly assess and report on the financial and social impact performance of investments, demonstrating the company's effectiveness to stakeholders and markets.
• Contribute to thought leadership initiatives that showcase the company's innovative approaches and success stories.
• Identify gaps in the market where the KCV can play a catalytic role, including helping to build the follow - on investment demand for KCV pipeline enterprises.
• Investment Committee Liaison
• Coordinate and lead Investment Committee meetings to review prospective investments, report on progress, and discuss portfolio strategy that meets organizational goals.
• Leverage the expertise and networks of investment committee members, and other external experts, to identify new investment opportunities and capacity support for the businesses we serve.
• Present investment proposals, performance reports, and market analyses to the investment committee, ensuring they have the necessary information to make informed decisions.
• Collaborate with the investment committee to establish and review investment policies, risk management strategies, and performance benchmarks.
• Fund Management and Fundraising
• Contribute efforts to attract co - investors and partners, leveraging KCV’s investments to create larger pools of capital for impact.
• Develop strategies to identify new sources of capital.
• Play an active role in fundraising, engaging with investors on both financial performance and social impact of investments.
• Deals Pipeline Management
• Create a pipeline management approach that leverages deep ecosystem building and networks to manage risk and liquidity needs for KCV and growth objectives for the pipeline companies.
• Identify and cultivate strategic partnerships and technologies to help support the portfolio of deals.
• Regularly review and report on prospective investments, report on progress, and discuss portfolio strategy.
• Team Leader and Culture Building
• Lead a high performing investments team.
• Build and maintain a positive team culture that values curiosity, self-reflection, continuous improvement, accountability, commitment and passion for KCV’s mission.
• Promote cross-pollination of ideas between investment professionals and direct service teams.
• Mentor team members to develop investment acumen and a holistic understanding of KCV Fund’s mission and operations.
• Foster a non - hierarchical, ambitious, and energetic work environment.
• Promote a culture of collaboration, integrity, and trust within the company.
• Integration with Direct Services
• Foster a culture of collaboration between the investment team and direct services team.
• Implement systems for knowledge sharing and feedback loops between
• investment activities and on - the - ground community work.
• Develop and monitor metrics that measure the combined impact of investments and direct services.
• Participate in strategic planning sessions with the direct services team to align objectives and resources.

Core capabilities

• Exceptional people leadership and collaboration skills.
• Strong impact orientation; ability to balance financial and impact returns.
• Extensive knowledge of investment concepts, strategies, and capital markets
• Excellent analytical and communication skills.
• Ability to manage multiple stakeholders and gain buy-in both internally and externally.
• A good understanding of underserved markets in Kenya and the region.
• Experience in thematic finance, including values-based approaches such as ESG investing, impact investing, and Islamic finance.
• A strong business perspective, preferably with experience working in a financial institution and/ or development financing institution.
• Experience in working in Sub Saharan Africa is an added advantage.
• Must possess good understanding of SGBs/ SMEs financing and support.
• Possess excellent command of the English language skills both writing and speaking.

Qualifications required

• Bachelor’s degree in business administration, finance and economics, or any related technical fields. MBA is preferred.
• CFA, Certified Public Accountant (CPA) or equivalent professional finance or accounting certification is an added advantage.
• 15+ years of experience in private equity, venture capital, corporate development or related fields, with at least 7 years in private equity or venture capital, including successful exits.
• Proven track record of sourcing, structuring and managing investments.
• Demonstrated ability to lead diverse, multidisciplinary teams and manage complex stakeholder relationships.
• Minimum of five (5) years of experience in one or more of the following areas: finance, agribusiness, SME finance, renewable energy, forestry, water, waste and circularity.
• Strong commitment to and understanding of community development and social impact metrics